1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system which can provide electronic settlements and services through wireless communications.
Generally, for providing a service based on a paid price, a service provider needs to confirm whether or not a price has been paid for the service, i.e., whether or not the payment has been settled. For example, a service provider may confirm a ticket which certifies that a price has been paid by means of a ticket examiner for managing the admission to a site where a certain service is provided. An automatic vending machine, in turn, confirms a price with money introduced thereinto.
In the following, a conventional ticket examiner will be described.
A conventional ticket examiner 100 illustrated in FIG. 9 comprises a magnetic head 2; a printer 3; a slot and paper handler 41; a paper handler and pickup port 42; a collector box 5; a controller 6; an optical sensor based light receiver 7; a light source 71; and motor driven gates 81, 82. The ticket examiner 100 is used not only at entrances to means of communication but also at entrances/exits of concert sites, event sites, amusement parks and so on.
For admission, the conventional ticket examiner 100 reads account information and so on recorded on a ticket introduced from the slot 41 with the magnetic head 2. Upon determination of a valid ticket based on the read account information and so on, the ticket examiner 100 magnetically writes data on the ticket, comparable to the punching. Subsequently, the printer 3 prints the admission time and so on on the ticket and mechanically punches out the ticket, and then sends the resulting ticket to the pickup port 42.
In the meantime, the spectator passes through the motor driven gate 81, now opened, to interrupt the optical sensor 7 in this event. The ticket examiner 100 closes the motor driven gate 82 at this time, but does not close the gate 82 if the introduced ticket is valid. If the ticket is not valid, the ticket examiner 100 continuously generates an alarm with the gate closed to notify the spectator and surroundings that the ticket is not valid.
For exit, account information and so on are read from a ticket introduced from the slot 41 with the magnetic head 2. When the ticket is determined as valid based on the account information, the ticket is collected in the collector box 5 from the paper handler 42. Conversely, if the ticket is determined as invalid, the ticket is sent to the pickup port 42.
In the meantime, the spectator passes through the motor driven gate 81 to interrupt the optical sensor 7. The ticket examiner 100 closes the motor driven gate 82 at this time, but does not close the gate if the ticket is determined as valid. If the ticket is not valid, the ticket examiner 100 continuously generates an alarm, with the gate closed, to notify the spectator and surroundings that the ticket is not valid.
The conventional ticket examiner requires a spectator, when he passes therethrough for admission, to introduce as a ticket a slip applied with a magnetic tape adhered on the back surface thereof or a slip dedicated to the ticket examiner. Thus, even when a spectator uses a so-called electronic ticket which has been electronically stored in a mobile terminal such as a mobile telephone or the like, among other tickets purchased through electronic settlements via the Internet or the mobile telephone, the spectator must go through the issuance of a ticket of paper from the electronic ticket before admission, and then introduce the issued ticket into the ticket examiner for admission.
The requirement to such a sequence is not limited only to the ticket examiner but is common to other systems for use in providing other services. In other words, even if a person who is going to receive a service has information which guarantees an electronic price such as electronic money or an electronic ticket or the like, he must once convert the information to a physical entity, for example, a ticket, coin, bill or the like when he is going to receive a service through a system which is not capable of directly receiving the electronic money and so on, such as a vending machine and a ticket examiner.
As such, since the conversion is time consuming, the person who is going to receive the service must wait for a long time required for the conversion.